IllustrationTHE VEHICLE LEAKED ANTIFREEZE. THE CONSUMER SUSPECTED THE HEAD GASKET FAILED. *JB
1996 Chevrolet Pickup
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Pickup years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 3 of 60 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Visibility. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Fuel System, Gasoline. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports1 fire reports2 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
4 reportsMOTOR WILL SHUT OFF AT VARIOUS TIMES, AT IDLE OR WHILE DRIVING, WITHOUT WARNING. TRUCK IS USED FOR TRAILERING HORSES AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND THE ENGINE SHUTTING DOWN SEVERELY EFFECTS BRAKING AND STEERAGE AND IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. THE TRUCK WAS REPAIRED BY THE DEALERSHIP FOR FUEL INJECTION PUMP PROBLEMS AT 55812 MILES WITH …
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MOTOR WILL SHUT OFF AT VARIOUS TIMES, AT IDLE OR WHILE DRIVING, WITHOUT WARNING. TRUCK IS USED FOR TRAILERING HORSES AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT AND THE ENGINE SHUTTING DOWN SEVERELY EFFECTS BRAKING AND STEERAGE AND IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. THE TRUCK WAS REPAIRED BY THE DEALERSHIP FOR FUEL INJECTION PUMP PROBLEMS AT 55812 MILES WITH THE PUMP BEING REPLACED. SEARCHING INTERNET AND TALKING TO MECHANICS FOUND THAT THIS IS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THE 6.5L DIESEL ENGINE WITH THE FAULT BEING THE PUMP MOUNTED DRIVER (PMD) SOMETIMES CALLED A FUEL SOLENOID DRIVER (FSD) WHICH GM LISTS IT AS PART #12562836 AND MANUFACTURED BY STANADYNE. THIS MODULE IS MOUNTED ON THE SIDE OF THE FUEL PUMP IN FRONT OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD BETWEEN THE HEADS. IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE INTENSE HEAT OF THE ENGINE IS CAUSING THE ELECTRONICS IN THIS PMD TO BREAK DOWN AND FAIL. REPLACING THIS PMD RESOLVED THE STALLING PROBLEM BUT I FEEL IF THIS PMD IS NOT COOLED PROPERLY, RELOCATED TO A COOLER LOCATION OR REDESIGNED THE PROBLEM WILL PERSIST AND COULD LEAD TO ACCIDENTS. THERE ARE AFTERMARKET KITS AVAILABLE TO RELOCATE THE PMD BUT I FEEL THAT IT SHOULD BE THE MANUFACTURER (GM) TO CORRECT THE DESIGN PROBLEM.*AK
DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 40-60 MPH VEHICLE WILL STALL OUT/MOTOR WILL CUT OFF. BRAKES ARE SOFT ,NO POWER, HAS TO PUT IN NEUTRAL TO RESTART,DEALER REPLACED FUEL INJECTION/REPROGRAMMED COMPUTER AND CHECKED CODES. *AK
VEHICLE FIRE.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2EA97007 · Steering Shaft Separations
Opened Apr 17, 1997 · Closed Mar 12, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
COUPLING BOLTS, JOINING THE STEERING SHAFT, MAY SEPARATE.IN SOME CASES, TOTAL UNFORESEEN, LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL MAY RESULT.
PE96076 · Steering Shaft Separations
Opened Dec 18, 1996 · Closed Apr 17, 1997
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering
BOLT IN THE COUPLING, JOINING THE UPPER INTERMEDIATE AND STEERING COLUMN SHAFTS, FALLS OUT.TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING OCCURS WHEN THE SHAFTS THEN SEPARATE.